PARIS: In a significant development, the Centre may be considering fulfilling the longstanding demand of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) diaspora by amending the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019 to reserve seats for representatives from the region in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Prominent figures of the POK Diaspora have been advocating for this move. In an exclusive interview with The New Indian on July 5, political activist Prof. Sajjad Raja emphasized the need to officially nominate representatives from POK and Gilgit Balochistan to occupy the reserved 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Prof. Raja stated, “As per The constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, 24 seats are reserved for the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Balochistan. All we demand is to officially nominate people for these seats, seek nomination papers from candidates hailing from POJK, GB, or the diaspora, and then elect those 24 representatives. By doing so, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will truly become a representative body for all parts of the divided Kashmir. These representatives can effectively voice the concerns of our people and champion diplomatic efforts to address our issues. We must have a direct engagement with the world and represent ourselves to gain a better understanding of our problems.”
He expressed dissatisfaction with India’s historical approach, citing missed opportunities to address the plight of people in POK and Gilgit Balochistan through political representation. Prof. Raja recalled past instances where India had not fully capitalized on the potential to negotiate the withdrawal of Pakistani forces from POK during the Bangladesh war.
“The Indian government has always been reluctant to take this matter seriously. During the Bangladesh war, India had the chance to negotiate the withdrawal of Pakistani soldiers from POK when they had 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war. Unfortunately, Indira Gandhi did not pursue that opportunity. The people of POK and Gilgit Balochistan will never accept the Line of Control (LoC) as the official international border. We are determined to continue fighting until our demands are addressed,” he asserted.
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir spans an area of 13,297 sq km, coming under the control of Pakistani forces after a 14-month period of hostilities between India and Pakistan in 1948-1949. It comprises 10 districts, including Neelum, Muzaffarabad, Hattian Bala, Bagh, and Haveli in Kashmir, and Rawlakot, Kotli, Mirpur, and Bhimber in Jammu. The region’s capital is Muzaffarabad, situated in the valley of the Jhelum river and its tributary Neelum (known as Kishanganga in India) to the west and slightly north of Srinagar.
Gilgit Baltistan (GB) spans over 72,871 sq km, five-and-a-half times the size of POK, but has a relatively sparse population of just under 20 lakh people. It is divided into three administrative divisions and 10 districts. Gilgit, Hunza, Ghizer, and Nagar fall under the Gilgit administrative division, while Ghanche, Shigar, Kharmang, and Skardu are part of the Baltistan division, and Diamer and Astore belong to the Diamer division.
The Centre’s consideration to address the POK diaspora’s demand may have far-reaching implications and is being closely watched by stakeholders both within and beyond the region.